An defense official has stated that the MoD is currently looking into the possible threats posed by Chinese-made cars, and personnel have been advised to refrain from talking about classified matters in all vehicles.
Safety Advice for Defence Personnel
In a recent appearance on LBC, Luke Pollard commented on reports that Ministry of Defence staff have been told not to discuss secret material while travelling in China-made cars.
He explained that the ministry is “examining” Chinese vehicles within its fleets, but noted that security is a issue in all modern vehicles.
Our department has a collection of thousands of cars in the Ministry of Defence and Chinese ones account for a very small number.
But regardless of if you’re traveling in a Chinese car or a car from another country, our instruction to our staff is not to plug MoD technology into their car, to avoid having conversations at a secret classification in any kind of vehicle, due to the growing threats of surveillance that exist in all vehicle, to restrict those confidential conversations in protected areas. That’s a wise and sensible thing for anyone worried about security.
After it was put to him that it would be prudent for the MoD to stop using all cars from China, the minister replied: That is exactly what we’re investigating at the moment.”
Wider Defence Context
The revelation follows reports from Scandinavian countries have warned the United Kingdom to the presence of dual-use kill switches in Chinese-made buses, which could allow China to switch off buses and cause disruption to transport systems.
Furthermore, a Russia spy ship was reportedly directing lasers at RAF aircrew, labeled a “highly dangerous” act by defence officials.
The broader security environment highlights the significance of robust measures and vigilance in every areas of official operations, including vehicle use to communication habits.
